Kansas City Area Braces for Another Round of Snow

If you believe the hype, this could be the biggest snow storm Kansas City has seen in 50 years. I've lived here my whole life; usually the amount of hype is inversely proportional to the amount of snow we actually get. That being said, it sure looks like we are going to have at least a moderate snowfall, with higher accumulations to the south, especially southeast.

The consensus seems to be 4 inches up to a possible 14 inches, depending on where in the area you are at. This does not bode well for Those who live in Kansas City Proper and do not own a 4WD vehicle. Unplowed streets with 10 inches of snow or more would be impassable for days (we are looking at temperatures below zero following the storm.) To make matters worse, the forecast also calls for strong winds making drifting of snow a real problem as well.

I, for one, will be at home in my jammies and slippers watching the snow. I recommend you do the same.

KU Embarrasses KState in Lawrence

On the day the state of Kansas turned 150, it seemed fitting that KU and KState would battle in Lawrence with ESPN's College Game Day in town. Before the season started, this looked like a potential top 10 or even top 5 matchup. However, KState has not lived up to its lofty preseason ranking, which took a lot of hype out of the Sunflower Showdown.

KState had no answer for the Jayhawks, getting absolutely manhandled by KU, 90-66. KU jumped out to a 15-2 lead and never looked back, relying on its superior post play to turn the game into a layup line. KState couldn't buy a basket, and never got within striking distance. Just two days after burying his mother, Thomas Robinson had a monster game, scoring 17 points and grabbing nine rebounds in an inspired effort to help lead the Jayhawks.

KU was one week off losing its ridiculous 69 home court winning streak at the hands of Texas, and looked inspired, focused and hungry. The Jayhawks were distracted against the Longhorns (the team found out about Lisa Robinson's passing the night before the game), and fell apart against a dangerous Texas squad. The win on saturday was a reminder that the Big 12 title still runs through Lawrence, and that KU will once again be a factor in league play and beyond.

For KState, the loss seemed fitting given how the season has gone. The Wildcats were picked to win the Big 12 and found themselves at third in the preseason top 25 poll. KState has now dropped five Big 12 games and seems headed for the NIT at best. Leadership problems, a stagnant offense and a tough Big 12 have lead to KState's nosedive. Frank Martin has failed to build a program like Bill Self or Mike Anderson at Missouri, and with no high-impact recruits and next year's tougher Big 12 schedule, the future looks cloudy at the moment in Manhattan.

Brian Euston's Death in Westport Shows Dangers in Binge Drinking

Brian Euston's blood alcohol on the night he died was .387. That is extremely high. Most people would have been long passed out in a pool of their own vomit by that point. It seems Brian was a seasoned drinker, and probably not a stranger to the Westport bars - No shame in that, necessarily. Yours truly has been known to knock down more than a few on occasion. But I can't even fathom the amount of alcohol an adult male would have to drink to have that high of a BAC. There is no way he knew what he was doing when Stanford Griswold allegedly punched him.

It is a sad story, no doubt. A young man with seemingly lots to live for dead because of the reckless actions of himself and another man at 3 in the morning outside of a bar. The grief of his family must be tremendous. But this didn't have to happen, and the chain of events, it seems was started by Brian himself. Drinking and drugging will kill you. We see stories like this all the time, and I've written about some here on this blog.

As for Stanford Griswold? He will pay for what he did, and Involuntary Manslaughter seems a fitting charge to me based on the information readily out there in the media. I certainly don't think he intended to kill Brian - The information out there says he only hit him once and then ran. When an obviously blind, stinking drunk dude is annoying (read hitting on) your girlfriend, a lot of guys would punch him in the head. Not that this is right, and shows another side of the problem. You can't go around punching guys because they are being an asshole.

Really the bottom line is not to put yourself in situations where bad things can occur, because like it or not they do. And that's just a brutal reality of life.

Dead, Frozen Baby Found in Pickup Truck Bed in Kansas CIty

Kansas City Police are investigating the discovery of a dead baby. The baby was found wrapped in a plastic bag in the back of a pickup parked in a driveway in the 11300 block of East 49th St. Police went to the house on Kansas City's east side on a tip from a man who was at the residence January 9 and heard a woman giving birth. The man was back at the scene some days later and asked about the baby; "What baby?" was the response from Wanda Benanhaley, 38, of the residence.

That man called Kansas City Police who responded to the residence. Wanda and boyfriend told Police the baby was stillborn, so they threw it in a plastic bag and into the back of a pickup. The Officers were surprised to find the body still in the truck - MORE THAN TWO WEEKS AFTER THE BABY WAS BORN! What the fuck is wrong with these people?

Wanda has a long history of run ins with the law. Drugs, mostly - she probably does a lot of meth to look at her. Currently the boyfriend has not been charged, and Wanda was arrested on an outstanding warrant. As soon as the body thaws, an autopsy will be done, I'm sure it will be easy enough to tell if the baby was stillborn. At the very least, these two pieces of white trash should be charged with abandoning a corpse or something. Disgusting Animals!

Emanuel Cleaver Confident in the Face of Redistricting

There is a Federal census every 10 years as mandated in the U. S. Constitution. For those of you that didn't notice, that census was in 2010. The year after the census, State Legislatures must decide if, and how districts should be changed to reflect the changing population centers. Sometimes states even lose or gain seats. That's what is happening in Missouri right now. Starting with the 2012 Congressional elections, Missouri will have 8 Representatives, down from 9 currently.

What does all this mean? The Missouri State Legislature is heavily Republican (roughly two thirds). Locally, it will mean that the seat currently held by my (and your) favorite Congressman will certainly have to be enlarged. That will not be an advantage for the Honorable (cough, cough) Mr. Cleaver. Likely, his district will include more of eastern Jackson County like Blue Springs, Oak Grove, etc - and possibly even parts of the Northland in Kansas City. These areas are heavily more conservative than the inner city where Cleaver currently holds strong support. He may have to actually run on ideas rather than race.

Representative Cleaver, who currently heads the Socialist and Race Baiting Congressional Black Caucus, remains confident about his political future. He probably is safe, The Justice Department will be called on if neccesary to enforce a provision of the Voting Rights Act that virtually assures a majority black district stays that way. But he may have to listen a little harder to all of his constituants, black and white.